Chapter 216 A Last Glimmer of Hope?

What Yinzhen hated most in his life was the entanglement between the court and the harem, their schemes against him, their plots for his throne, and now their schemes against his son.

Upon hearing the Emperor mention his daughter, the Duke of Pei could no longer kneel. He straightened up, intending to step forward, but seeing E Min's almost folded body and the watchful Imperial Guards beside her, he obediently retreated to his original position.

He was a veteran of two reigns, and both the late emperor and the current emperor, as well as the crown prince, treated him with great respect. Therefore, he was not without pride, especially since he doted on this daughter to an extreme degree, and naturally could not bear to hear anyone say a bad word about her.

"Your Majesty, the Empress's true feelings for you are as clear as day and night, and I, her father, can also bear witness to it. Ever since she saw Your Majesty, she has been unable to eat or drink, and has been depressed for countless days. That's why she begged me to plead for her to enter the palace. Your Majesty knows the reason for this."

His words were earnest, filled with the bitterness of a father: "What happened today is the fault of this old minister. I hope Your Majesty will not take your anger out on the Empress. The Empress... she has been wronged! I will bear any punishment, I only ask that Your Majesty treat my daughter kindly."

However, his heartfelt confession failed to move Yinzhen. Instead, it only reminded him of how he had almost died of anger just moments before. He gritted his teeth and said, "A heartfelt confession? Heaven and earth can bear witness? If heaven and earth can truly bear witness, then heaven and earth are blind. They can't see the wickedness in this poisonous woman's heart!"

"Your Majesty! You..." The Duke of Pei was still indignant and wanted to argue again, but Hongzhao took advantage of his long legs and kicked him hard in the chest.

He frowned and roared, his voice authoritative yet clear: "How dare you! How dare you interrupt when Father Emperor is speaking? Do you really think you're the Emperor's father-in-law? Father Emperor hasn't even punished you for your numerous crimes of deceiving the Emperor and treason yet, how can I tolerate your unreasonable behavior and deceiving the Emperor!"

Hongzhao was now supporting his father's upper body with both hands. There was really no other quick and accurate way to teach him a lesson except to kick him. However, this kick not only did not quell his anger, but also gave him an outlet for all the anger he had accumulated over the past two days.

"Do you think my Emperor Father was seriously ill for two days? It's all thanks to your good daughter, Duke of Pei. She was so audacious that she poisoned the Emperor Father's food and spices. The daughter poisoned the Emperor in the harem, while the father rebelled and forced the Emperor to abdicate outside the palace. You two really have a good plan."

Faced with Hongzhao's accusations, the Duke of Pei rose up to refute them, but was severely suppressed and immediately ended up in the same position as Guarjia Emin. Even so, he still stubbornly shouted at Hongzhao, "Impossible! Consort Meng is your stepmother. How can you make such false accusations against her!"

“If the Duke of Pei doesn’t believe me, he can go and ask her himself. I’m keeping her alive just now to see how stubborn you are. She just confessed it herself in front of Father’s bedside. Everyone inside heard it clearly. There are witnesses and physical evidence. She can’t deny it anymore.” Hongzhao frowned and looked at him with his eyes lowered.

He didn't say why Meng poisoned the body. There were too many people present, and it was a royal secret. Revealing it would inevitably damage the emperor's reputation. However, he would ensure that no one who needed to be punished would be spared.

It was early March and the weather hadn't warmed up yet. The spring breeze was still chilly as it swept across his face. Yinzhen was drenched in the wind, his clothes billowing in the wind, and his expression became even more resolute and scrutinizing.

"Your daughter poisoned me, a capital offense, and you claim the Crown Prince is framing you. Now you've brought your men to the gates of my Hall of Mental Cultivation, framing the Crown Prince right before my eyes, and you still expect me to forgive you? It's utterly ridiculous."

He withdrew his hand and placed it on Hongzhao's, straightened his slightly hunched back, let out a long sigh, and gently patted it—"I am the Son of Heaven, but I am also a father. You are not the only one who loves your son; I naturally have it too, so..."

"I will grant your wish. Although you will not be able to leave behind a complete corpse, I will send you all on your way."

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..." Emin trembled like a leaf as he struggled to lift his head, trying to see the Emperor's expression. He hoped to find a way out for himself, but in the end, he was destined to be disappointed.

"Emin, today's illness has given me a new perspective on you. You are indeed audacious. You keep saying you are worried about me, but I can see that you are only thinking of yourself. You disrespect the Crown Prince, defy the Prince, commit treason, and intend to rebel. The sins you have committed will be difficult for you to atone for with your own blood."

Having stood and spoken for so long, Yinzhen was truly exhausted. He closed his eyes, his voice weary. Yet, the lethality within remained undiminished; instead, his dejected tone carried an even greater chilling intent, and his ruthless decisiveness brought forth silent wails from the crowd.

Seeing his forced composure made Hongzhao feel uneasy. He leaned close to his father's ear and whispered, "Father, let's go back and rest. Leave the rest to your son. Uncle Thirteen and Uncle Fourteen are also keeping an eye on things. There won't be any major trouble. I'm worried about you."

If Hongzhao had persuaded him like this before, he would have definitely agreed, but not today.

His chest heaved a few times, as if he was preparing something, and then Xuan turned to the crowd and spoke again.

"The Crown Prince was personally appointed by me. He is my most outstanding son. He was literate at the age of three and skilled in martial arts at the age of seven. His intelligence and talent are unmatched. He is also the most respectful and filial. Now that he is over fifteen years old, he has grown up. He is benevolent, kind, compassionate, and loves the people. He also has loyal ministers and good generals to assist him. I am very relieved."

He deliberately raised his voice to ensure that every word could be accurately heard by everyone present. His already hoarse and rough voice became even more strained under the strain, and he almost slurred a few words, but even so, he showed no sign of stopping to rest.

In fact, during the confrontation just now, his body was already on the verge of collapsing. Others could not see it, but Hongzhao could see it clearly. He gently shook his father's sleeve with worry and heartache, but only received a meaningful look from Yinzhen.

It seemed like an entrustment, a reluctance to part, and a farewell.

Hongzhao then realized that his father probably attributed his current condition to a "last gasp before death."

Yinzhen truly thought so, having just experienced that real near-death experience. The fact that he could still stand here, no matter how long, was a bonus he had earned.

"In the future, the Crown Prince will surely inherit the throne. You should all do your best to assist him and jointly safeguard the Qing Dynasty!"

Yinzhen, with a strength he didn't know where he got from, supported Hongzhao's back and pushed him forward. This was the first and only time that Hongzhao stood in front of his father.

As he listened to everyone kneeling and shouting "Long live the Emperor!", Hongzhao inexplicably recalled the day he was made Crown Prince. It was a similar scene; his father, the Emperor, led him to the high platform, and the shouts made him experience for the first time the feeling of looking down on all living beings.

He was in a daze when he caught a glimpse of the figure beside him suddenly falling to the side.

"Father!" Hongzhao reacted quickly and turned around to help him, preventing his father from falling headfirst.

Yinzhen suddenly felt dizzy and lost his balance. He took a half step back with Hongzhao's help to regain his footing. "Your Highness, I'll leave everything to you from now on. I have your thirteenth uncle on my side. This matter must not be delayed, or things will change."

"I believe you can handle this."